SYNTHESIS OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES DOPED IN THE ZEOLITE FRAMEWORK BY CHEMICAL REDUCTION METHOD

ABSTRACT Silver ions (Ag+) were introduced at first into the porous zeolite 4A lattice by an ion-exchange route. And then silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized in the zeolite framework by chemical reduction method using hydrazine hydrate (N2H4. H2O) as reducing agent. The synthesized AgNPs/zeolite product was characterized by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The results showed the maximum absorption wavelength (lmax) of AgNPs/zeolite at 427 nm and the average size of the metallic AgNPs doped in the zeolite of about 30 nm. The synthesis process has been considered as suitable one to prepare AgNPs/zeolite with AgNPs content in zeolite of about 1.2% on large scale. The obtained AgNPs/zeolite product has been used for production of porous ceramic water filters with efficiently bacterial disinfection effect for treatment of drinking water

EVALUATION OF GENETIC DIVERSITY OF THE BLACK GLUTINOUS RICE BASED ON AGRO-MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS

The study assessed the variations in nine agro-morphological characters among and within the black glutinous rice (Oryza sativa) population from Chau Thanh District, Tra Vinh Province. The nine quantitative agromorphological characters that were measured include culm length, leaf length, leaf width, number of panicles, panicle length, grain length, grain width, number of firm grain, and number of grain per panicle. The unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean method and principal coordinate analysis by the NTSYS program were applied in this study to classify the nine agro-morphological characters. In addition, to compare the variations in quantitative characters between O. sativa populations, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used. The results showed significant differences between the black glutinous rice populations for all quantitative agro-morphological characters. Moreover, some agro-morphological characters showed positive correlations to each other. The dendrogram generated from the analysis process of the agromorphological data divided the O. sativa populations into two groups with unfamiliar features. However, the O. sativa populations assessed exhibited a wide range of variations in morphological characteristics, both within the same population and among other populations with the same strains

Construction of a dataset for the gene nrLSU to support the identification of cantharellus at Langbian Mountain, Lam Dong

Fungal species of Cantharellales order are found worldwide including Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America. This clade includes two smaller, separate, but closely related genera Cantharellus and Craterellus. Cantharellus was firstly identified in the middle of the 17th century. Besides traditional classification based on morphology, molecular phylogeny of the nuclear ribosomal large subunit gene (nrLSU) can be an effective tool to provide more information during species identification for this group. In this current report, a dataset of the nrLSU gene including 60 sequences of Cantharellus species and 1 sequence belonging to Craterellus (outgroup), was obtained from Genbank. Phylogenetic analyses by MEGA 6.0 showed a monophyletic relationship between the six well-established clades, namely Cantharellus (Clade 1), Rubrinus (Clade 2), Cinnabarinus (Clade 3), Parvocantharellus (Clade 4), Pseudocantharellus (Clade 5) and subgenus Afrocantharellus (Clade 6) similar to that of morphological classification. Therefore, this dataset is efficient to support the identification of the fungal samples, collected at the Langbian Mountain, Lam Dong

Safety and efficacy of fluoxetine on functional outcome after acute stroke (AFFINITY): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Trials of fluoxetine for recovery after stroke report conflicting results. The Assessment oF FluoxetINe In sTroke recoverY (AFFINITY) trial aimed to show if daily oral fluoxetine for 6 months after stroke improves functional outcome in an ethnically diverse population. Methods AFFINITY was a randomised, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial done in 43 hospital stroke units in Australia (n=29), New Zealand (four), and Vietnam (ten). Eligible patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) with a clinical diagnosis of acute stroke in the previous 2–15 days, brain imaging consistent with ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, and a persisting neurological deficit that produced a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 1 or more. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 via a web-based system using a minimisation algorithm to once daily, oral fluoxetine 20 mg capsules or matching placebo for 6 months. Patients, carers, investigators, and outcome assessors were masked to the treatment allocation. The primary outcome was functional status, measured by the mRS, at 6 months. The primary analysis was an ordinal logistic regression of the mRS at 6 months, adjusted for minimisation variables. Primary and safety analyses were done according to the patient's treatment allocation. The trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12611000774921. Findings Between Jan 11, 2013, and June 30, 2019, 1280 patients were recruited in Australia (n=532), New Zealand (n=42), and Vietnam (n=706), of whom 642 were randomly assigned to fluoxetine and 638 were randomly assigned to placebo. Mean duration of trial treatment was 167 days (SD 48·1). At 6 months, mRS data were available in 624 (97%) patients in the fluoxetine group and 632 (99%) in the placebo group. The distribution of mRS categories was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (adjusted common odds ratio 0·94, 95% CI 0·76–1·15; p=0·53). Compared with patients in the placebo group, patients in the fluoxetine group had more falls (20 [3%] vs seven [1%]; p=0·018), bone fractures (19 [3%] vs six [1%]; p=0·014), and epileptic seizures (ten [2%] vs two [<1%]; p=0·038) at 6 months. Interpretation Oral fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve functional outcome and increased the risk of falls, bone fractures, and epileptic seizures. These results do not support the use of fluoxetine to improve functional outcome after stroke

A Decision Support Model for Measuring Technological Progress and Productivity Growth: The Case of Commercial Banks in Vietnam

The interactive relationship between the banking system and enterprise makes up the role that affects a national economy. Significantly, the relationship between banking and technology has become tighter over the past few decades. An assessment of bank performance is critical for understanding their position and provides valuable information to practitioners. In this paper, we assess the performance of the top 18 commercial banks in Vietnam during 2015–2019. The assessment utilizes two data envelopment analysis (DEA) models while involving the banks’ performance in six dimensions, including assets, deposits, operating expenses, liabilities as inputs, while treating loans and net income as outputs. Using the Malmquist measurement, the total productivity growth indexes of the banks are obtained, which are decomposed into technical and technological evolutions. Window analysis is used to compute the efficiencies of the banks in every single year in 2015–2019. From the results of Malmquist, most banks are found to decrease their Malmquist productivity indexes from 2015 to 2019, wherein both of their technical and technological indexes declined. Window analysis indicates B6-SHBank, B1-Vietinbank, and B18-PetrolimexGroup as the most efficient banks during 2015–2019, and in the interim, B16-BaoVietBank, B11-NationalCitizen, and B13-VietnamMaritime ranked on the bottom line. The managerial implications of this research help to reflect the comprehensive insights of the top Vietnamese commercial bank performance and offer a strategic guideline for decision-makers toward sustainable development in the banking industry

Synthesis of silver nanoparticles deposited in porous ceramic by γ-irradiation

Silver nanoparticles (Ag nano) were deposited in porous ceramic (PC) that was functionalized with aminosilane (AS) agent (PC-AS-Ag nano) by gamma Co-60 irradiation of the PC-AS/Ag+ mixture using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as stabilizer. Effect of dose on the formation of Ag nano was investigated. Characteristics of the nanocomposite material (PC-AS-Ag nano) were determined by ultraviolet visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Results indicated that Ag nano size was ~9 nm and the Ag nano content in PC-AS-Ag nano material was about of 341 ± 51 mg/kg at dose of 14-20 kGy. Thus, gamma Co-60 irradiation method has the advantage of creation of small Ag nanoparticles with fairly homogenous distribution in PC material

Autophagy Inhibitor Chloroquine Downmodulates Hepatic Stellate Cell Activation and Liver Damage in Bile-Duct-Ligated Mice

Hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation via the autophagy pathway is a critical factor in liver fibrogenesis. This study tests the hypothesis that chloroquine (CQ) treatment can prevent autophagy and HSC activation in vitro and in vivo in bile-duct-ligated (BDL) mice. Sham-operated and BDL mice were treated with either PBS or CQ in two 60 mg/kg doses the day (D) before and after surgery. On day 2 (2D), HSCs were isolated, and their biological activities were evaluated by measuring intracellular lipid content, α-sma/collagen, and expression of autophagy lc3, sqstm1/p62 markers. The treatment efficacy on liver function was evaluated with serum albumin, transaminases (AST/ALT), and hepatic histology. Primary HSCs were treated in vitro for 24 h with CQ at 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 30, and 50 µM. Autophagy and HSC activation were assessed after 2D of treatment. CQ treatment improved serum AST/ALT, albumin, and bile duct proliferation in 2D BDL mice. This is associated with a suppression of HSC activation, shown by higher HSC lipid content and collagen I staining, along with the blockage of HSC autophagy indicated by an increase in p62 level and reduction in lc3 staining. CQ 5 µM inhibited autophagy in primary HSCs in vitro by increasing p62 and lc3 accumulation, thereby suppressing their in vitro activation. The autophagy inhibitor CQ reduced HSC activation in vitro and in vivo. CQ improved liver function and reduced liver injury in BDL mice

Twelve-Month Outcomes of the AFFINITY Trial of Fluoxetine for Functional Recovery After Acute Stroke: AFFINITY Trial Steering Committee on Behalf of the AFFINITY Trial Collaboration

Background and Purpose: The AFFINITY trial (Assessment of Fluoxetine in Stroke Recovery) reported that oral fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve functional outcome and increased the risk of falls, bone fractures, and seizures. After trial medication was ceased at 6 months, survivors were followed to 12 months post-randomization. This preplanned secondary analysis aimed to determine any sustained or delayed effects of fluoxetine at 12 months post-randomization. Methods: AFFINITY was a randomized, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in adults (n=1280) with a clinical diagnosis of stroke in the previous 2 to 15 days and persisting neurological deficit who were recruited at 43 hospital stroke units in Australia (n=29), New Zealand (4), and Vietnam (10) between 2013 and 2019. Participants were randomized to oral fluoxetine 20 mg once daily (n=642) or matching placebo (n=638) for 6 months and followed until 12 months after randomization. The primary outcome was function, measured by the modified Rankin Scale, at 6 months. Secondary outcomes for these analyses included measures of the modified Rankin Scale, mood, cognition, overall health status, fatigue, health-related quality of life, and safety at 12 months. Results: Adherence to trial medication was for a mean 167 (SD 48) days and similar between randomized groups. At 12 months, the distribution of modified Rankin Scale categories was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (adjusted common odds ratio, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.76–1.14]; P =0.46). Compared with placebo, patients allocated fluoxetine had fewer recurrent ischemic strokes (14 [2.18%] versus 29 [4.55%]; P =0.02), and no longer had significantly more falls (27 [4.21%] versus 15 [2.35%]; P =0.08), bone fractures (23 [3.58%] versus 11 [1.72%]; P =0.05), or seizures (11 [1.71%] versus 8 [1.25%]; P =0.64) at 12 months. Conclusions: Fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke had no delayed or sustained effect on functional outcome, falls, bone fractures, or seizures at 12 months poststroke. The lower rate of recurrent ischemic stroke in the fluoxetine group is most likely a chance finding. REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.anzctr.org.au/ ; Unique identifier: ACTRN12611000774921